How Brain Injuries Occur
Cape Coral and Fort Myers, Florida
According to the National Institutes of Health, fifty percent of all traumatic brain injuries (TBI) occur due to vehicle collisions, (auto, motorcycle and bicycle). TBI occurring during a vehicle collision is known as direct trauma. Approximately twenty percent occur due to acts of violence, such as a physical beating or gunshot wound. Falls leads the list of TBI causes for older Americans. These types of traumatic brain injury are known as indirect trauma.
TBI may cause a loss of brain function, affecting cognitive and memory tasks, information processing, and performance of motor and coordination functions. It is estimated that more than five million Americans live with minor to severe TBI-associated disabilities. TBI is a leading cause of death for Americans under age 45, and occurs every 12 seconds.
How the Brain Can Be Injured
Although highly complex, the brain is floating inside the skull, and cushioned by cerebrospinal fluid, the brain is protected from everyday bumps. However, a sudden and violent blow to the head can force the soft brain against the hard skull, tearing nerve fibers and sometimes causing bleeding within the brain.
At Sandia National Laboratories, research was performed to learn more about why individuals with similar head injuries experienced varying symptoms of memory dysfunction or permanent disability. The researchers proved that TBI can occur within one millisecond after the head receives a violent blow. This is a novel concept for physicians, and is changing perceptions about the effects of and treatments for TBI.
Types of Traumatic Brain Damage
TBI can bruise the cerebral cortex. This type of bruise, known as a contusion, affects the frontal and temporal lobes of the brain, responsible for long-term memory, speech and hearing.
The brain’s deep white matter (known as the arbor vitae) can be injured from a hard blow to the head; for example, due to whiplash, which causes severe stretching of the axons, or nerves within the central nervous system.
Another type of TBI, known as isotropic stress, occurs from pressure waves that move at very high speeds through the brain. Soldiers are at highest risk for this type of brain injury, because of exposure to blasts and explosions.
Do I Have a Brain Injury?
No medically-accepted criteria currently exist to predict TBI. However, your doctor may look for the following signs and symptoms:
- Concussion: an alteration of conscious awareness including a constellation of symptoms such as dizziness, nausea, vomiting, headache, disorientation, forgetfulness, mood swings, and insomnia
- Loss of consciousness (LOC): LOC can last minutes or days. Generally speaking, the longer an individual remains unconscious, the more severe the injury
- Pupils are Equal and Reactive to Light (PERL): PERL tests for unequal pupils or unreactive pupils in patients who are comatose after a head injury. These symptoms may indicate surgery is necessary to relieve elevated pressure intracranial pressure
- Focal Neurologic Signs: Indicate a specific part of the brain is not functioning
Other indications of brain injury include seizures, amnesia and encephalopathy, a disturbance of the brain’s gray matter.
If TBI has affected your life or the life of a loved one, the experienced traumatic brain injury attorneys at Lusk, Drasites, Tolisano & Smith, P.A. in Cape Coral and Fort Myers, Florida have the resources and expertise to help. Please contact us today to schedule your free initial consultation.
